Variable-speed gearing.



' No. 700,98I. Patented May 27, I902.

s. m: PLOEG.

VARIABLE SPEED GEARING.

(Application filed July 20, 1901.) (N 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

No. 700,981. Patented May 27, 1902.

8. DE PLOEG. I

VARIABLE SPEED GEARING.

(Application filed July 20, 1901.) I (No Model.) Sheets-Sheet 2,

m: Nonms warms co. PHOYOLITHO. wnsumcron, u. c.

No. 700,98L Patenfed May 27, I902.

8. DE PLOEG.

VARIABLE SPEED GEARING.

(Application filed. Jul 20, 1901. (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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STAT S SIMON DE PLOEG, OF ST. MAURICE, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO STE. DEPLOEG, I'I. COLLIEZ LOUSTAU ET CIE., OF ST. MAURICE, FRANCE.

VARIABLE-SPEED GEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,981,dated May 2'7,1902. Application filed July 20, 1901'. Serial No; 69,125. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SIMON DE'PLOEG, a citizen of the Republic of Brazil,residing in St. Maurice, Seine, France, have invented oer tain new anduseful Improvements in Variable-Speed Gearings, of which the followingis a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a variable-speed gearingparticularly applicable to automobiles and the like and having variouspoints of advantage which are specified in detail hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, showing an embodiment of myinvention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of certain of the operatingparts of my invention. 7 Fig. 2 is a transverse section. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section on the line A B of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a longitudinalsection on the line C D of Fig.

2. Figs. 5 to 12, inclusive, are schematic views showing the position ofthe parts at successive periods of operation.

A casing contains the whole machinery of the vehiclethat is, thedifierential gear, the reversing-gear, the various speed gear, anddisengaging-gear. This casing may be mounted on vehicles of any system,and its mech anism may be combined with all kinds of transmission, suchas belts, chains, &c. It can be connected just as well to the axis ofthe motor directly. The rotating motion is transmitted to thedriving-wheels by the shafts 1 and 2, connected with the usual differential gear contained in the casing 3 for permitting differing speedsof the shafts 1 and 2 in turning the vehicle around corners, 850. Thiscasing supports also the toothed wheel 4: for running backward, thewheel5for lowspeed,6forintermediate speed, and 7 for full speed. Thedifferential gear 3, however, is not a necessary feature of myinvention. The wheels 4, 5, 6, and 7 may be all keyed directly onto theshaft of a vehicle driving-wheel without the usual intermediatedifferential mechanism. These toothed wheels are shown keyed on thecasing 3 and may engage with pinions 8, 9, and 10. These pinions slideon a six-sided shaft 11, which is rotated either by the motor or byanother suitable mechanism between the motor and the driving-wheels. Anintermediate gear ing 12 transforms the direction of rotation of thegearing 4, so as to allow backward running of the carriage.

The pinions 8,9, and 10 are shifted by means of rigid levers 13, urgedby springs 15, which are controlled by levers 14. The levers 13 andle'pivot'both on axle l6, fixed on the bottom of thecasing. The cams 17are provided with circular grooves 18 and 19, into which are engaged,respectively, the fingers 20 and 21 of levers .14 and 13. These cams 17are keyed fast on a shaft 22, carrying the pinion 23. This pinionpermits of rotary movement of the'cams 17 and gears with the toothedsector 24, carried by the shaft 25, which is provided with a leverconnected to the controlling-gear of the vehicle. The fingers 20 havethe object of transmitting to the levers 14: the movement of the cams.They are engaged in grooves 19. Fingers 21 are safety-fingers for thelevers 13 and they are engaged in the grooves 18 of cams 17. The fingers26 of the levers l3 serve to move the pinions 8, 9, and 10. They areengaged in grooves 27.

Each of the grooves 18 is dependent in its operation and design upon theadjacent groove 19, so that by the combined movements of the pins 20 and21 at the same end of the cam 17 the desired *movement of the lever 13is effected; The shape of the grooves 18 and 19 is indicatedsufficiently in Figs. 5 to 12. The levers 13 and 14: of each pair arenot rigidly connected with each other, but are connected in operation,so that movement of the lever 14 in a direction to bring the pinion 8,9, or 10 into engagement with the gears is followed by a yieldingmovement of the lever 13 in such direction, whereby the engagement iseffected without any noise; but the disengagement of the pinions isproduced by a positive unyielding movement of the lever 13, whichinsures a positive disengagement. The springs 15 for producing theyielding movementof the parts are mounted on a shaft 28, which is fixedin the outer casing carrying the machinery. There are three of thesesprings 15 in the embodiment shown. Fixed stops 30 at the outer ends ofthe outer springs 15 limit their outward movement. Upon the inner end ofeach of the outer normally compressed spring 15.

springs 15 and upon both ends of the middle spring 15 are separatemovable sliding blocks 29, which may move longitudinally on the shaft28. these springs is under such compression that their velocity ofexpansion when released will be greater than the circumferential speedof the gearing, so that thesprings may throw the respective gears in toengagement during movement of the driving-shaft.

The operation is as follows: As the cam 17 is rotated, first the pin 20,in engagement with the groove 19, is thrown in a direction to compressone of the springs 15 by the action of the lever 14 and the pin 31. Theopposed spring 15 (being normallyunder compression) then bears againstthe pin 32 of the lever 13, tending to throw its proper pinion intoengagement with the proper gear. The continued rotation of the cam 17brings the pin 21 of the lever 13 to a point which permits the lever 13to move under the action of the If the pinion and gear to be engagedwith each other are'not in register, with the tooth of one immediatelyagainst the notch of the other, the spring 15 continues the pressure onthe lever 14 until the two do register, when the engage= ment iseffected easily and without noise. In bringing the pinion out ofengagement with its gear the side of the cam-groove 18 bears positivelyagainst the pin 21 of the lever 13 to throw it in the properdirection-to positively disengage the pinion and gear. At the same timethe cam-groove 19 has restored the lever 14 to its original position. Inevery case the action of the springs 15 assists in throwing the levers13.

The arrangement of the cam-grooves 18 and 19 and of the controllingmechanism for the cam 17 may be varied as desired. In the drawings '1have shown an arrangement of these parts whereby a continuous rotationof the controlling-shaft 25 in one direction produces in succession abackward movement, a slow forward movement, an intermediatespeed forwardmovement, and a full-speed forward movement. In Fig. 5 the three springs15, the levers 13 and 14, and the pinions 8, 9, and 10 are in theirnormal disengaged positions. The first movement of the cam 17 throws theleft-hand lever 14 to the position of Fig. 6, compressing the left-handspring 15. The middle spring 15 then forces the lever 13 over to theleft to bring the pinion 10 into engagement with the pinion 12 toproduce a backward movement, the action of the spring being permitted bythe left-hand groove 18. A further turn restores the springs and pinionsto their original position, as in Fig. 7. The next movement throws thelefthand lever 14 in the opposite direction, compressing'theintermediate spring and allowing the left-hand spring to throw the lever13 into position to bring the pinion 10 into engagement with the slowforward-motion gear In the normal position each of 5. The continuedmovement again restores the springs and pinions to their originalposition The next movement operates the righthand lever 14 to compressthe middle spring 15, allowing the right-hand spring 15 to force thelever 13 over to bring the driving-pinion 9 into engagement with theintermediatespeed gear 6. The next position, Fig. 11, of the cam bringsthe springs and pinions again into their-original position. The finalmovement of the cam, Fig. 12, throws the right-hand lever 14 in adirection to compress the righthand spring 15, permitting the middlespring 15 to throw the lever 13 to bring the drivingpinion 8 intoengagement with the full-speed gear 7. The mechanism is thus broughtgradually from a backward movement to a full-speed forward movement. Byreversing the movement of the controlling-shaft 25 the oppositemovements are obtained from fullspeed forward to a backward movement ata comparatively slow speed. s

The disengagement of each driving-pinion at the moment desired ispositive, and it is impossible to bring more than one speed-gear intooperation at the same time, the movement of the controlling-shaftautomatically determining the release of one connection beforepermitting another and automatically determining also that theconnections and disconnections shall proceed in a determined order.

The mechanism is extremely simple and operates with but few parts tosecure the va rious possible modes of operation specified. Though I havedescribed with great particu= larity of detail a specific embodiment ofmy invention, yet it is to be understood that I am not limited to theparticular embodiment shown and described,as various modifications ofthe same in detail and in the arrangement of the parts may be made bythose skilled in the art without departure from the spirit of theinvention.

What I claim is- 1. In a gearing, the combination of a pair of toothedgears adapted to be moved relatively to each other in an axial directionfor engagement or disengagement, said gears being normally out ofengagement, and means for pressing said gears yieldingly toward eachother to bringthem into engagement.

2. In a variable-speed gearing, the combination of a driving-shaft,pinions carried thereby, a driven shaft, corresponding gears carriedthereby and adapted to engage with said pinions to produce differentspeeds of the driven shaft, springs tending to bring said pinions intoengagement with their corresponding gears, and means for releasing eachof said springs in succession to bring its pinion into engagement withits corresponding gear.

3. In a variable-speed gearing, the combination of a series of springs15, sliding blocks 29, levers 13 and 14 engaging said sliding blocks,and cams for operating said levers 13 and 14 to disengage one of saidsprings and permit the others to operate.

4. In a variable-speed gearing, the combination of a driving-shaft,pinions carried thereby, a driven shaft, gears carried thereby, springstending to bring said pinions into engagement with their correspondinggears, a common shaft, and, cams carried thereby IO and. adapted as saidshaft is rotated continuously in one direction to bring the pinionssuccessively into and. out of engagement with their corresponding gears.

In Witness'whereof Ihave hereunto signed my name, this 9th day of July,1901, in the 15 presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SIMON DE PLOEG. Witnesses:

MARIEL ARMENGAUD, Jeune, EDWARD P. MAOLEAN.

